A PRISONER who escaped from HMP Edmunds Hill could be hiding out in Dunmow, police have warned.

James Whitlock, who was serving almost three years for theft, walked out of the prison after applying for early release under a fellow inmate’s name.

Officers say Whitlock, who is white, about 5ft 10ins and of slim build with light brown hair, may be in the town as he has connections there. He was last seen wearing a blue and white short sleeve top and blue jeans.

The man also has connections to other parts of Essex and Suffolk as well as Dagenham, Chingford and Waltham Forest in east London and Maidenhead in Berkshire.

Whitlock was given permission for early release after applying to the Prison Service for licence using another inmate’s name who was serving a sentence at the same prison.

He has been on the run from police custody for four months now having escaped on June 14.

Members of the public who spot him have been warned not to approach him but to contact police immediately.

HMP Edmunds Hill is a category C prison which caters for 379 inmates who cannot be trusted in open conditions but classed as unlikely to escape.

It has boasted a string of illustrious inmates including singer Boy George, Jade Goody’s ex-husband Jack Tweed and disgraced Met Police chief Ali Dizaei.

Anyone with information about James Whitlock should call Suffolk Police on 01473 613500 or their nearest police station.